West midlands region

Strong house price growth in Scotland, Wales and the West Midlands is helping to prop up Britain's property market, with prices increasing by 3.5pc across the country over the past year, according to official figures. Prices grew fastest in the West Midlands (6.1pc) and the East Midlands (6pc), while Scotland (5.8pc) and Wales (5.8pc) also recorded a boost in the 12 months to September, taking the average price of a property in the UK to £232,554. Experts have attributed the regional increases to the large number of new-build properties being constructed in these areas. The price of new builds has risen faster than that of second-hand homes, at an annual rate of 6.8pc. Buoyant house prices in... To continue reading this article Start your free trial of Premium Access all Premium articles Subscriber-only events Cancel any time Free for 30 days then only £2 per week Try Premium Access one Premium article per … [Read more...] about Housing market propped up by growth in the regions and a lack of supply

A weekly newspaper series covering the Black Country has gone from seven titles to one, with the loss of four reporting roles. Two titles in the Midland News Association’s Chronicle Series have closed while the remaining five will become editions of new title Chronicle Week, which has published its first issue today. The MNA, which also publishes England’s biggest-selling regional daily the Express and Star West Midlands, claims Chronicle Week has the largest distribution of any free weekly newspaper in the UK.Two of the job losses at the Chronicle are through voluntary redundancy and the other two are through retirement, with these roles not being replaced.Chronicle Week will have editions for Wolverhampton, Walsall, Sandwell, Cannock and Dudley. The Dudley edition will also contain news from two towns that formerly had dedicated editions: Halesowen and Stourbridge. In a statement, MNA advertising director Louise Burns said: “The new print title … [Read more...] about Seven newspaper titles merge into one to create UK’s ‘biggest free weekly’ from Midlands publisher but four jobs lost

The UK's average house price has continued to climb, with East Midlands seeing the strongest growth. In the year to August, the price of a home in the region increased by 6.5pc, well above the national average of 3.2pc. The average property in the East Midlands now costs £194,718, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. There was also rapid growth in the West Midlands, with prices increasing 5.14pc between August 2017 and August 2018. A house in the area now costs an average of £199,000. Cities in the Midlands have been among the fastest growing in recent years. The population of Birmingham city centre expanded 162pc between 2002 and 2015, compared to 22pc in London in the same period, according to a report released earlier this year by think tank Centre for Cities. Improving transport links to London, with projects like HS2, are likely to be contributing to pressure on Midlands property prices. Other areas had more modest price … [Read more...] about House price growth in Midlands outpaces rest of the country

Workers in the East of England spend more of their wages on payday than in almost any other UK region, research has shown. Picture: John Stillwell/PA Wire Almost a quarter of people (23%) in the East of England spend more than half of their income the day they receive it, new research shows. A consumer survey, conducted for KPMG by YouGov, revealed that the East of England is the country’s second biggest payday spending region, beaten only by the West Midlands (26%) and tied with the South East.The survey also revealed that for those in the East, the most significant expenses on payday are utility bills (60% of respondents), housing costs (53%) and grocery shopping (34%). Some 24% of those in the region also focus on paying off credit card bills, while 14% were found to be paying off loans and other unsecured debt within 24 hours of being paid.Across the UK, more than one in five (22%) 25 to 34-year-olds spend at least 60% of their pay as soon as they get it, with … [Read more...] about Workers in East of England spend more on payday than almost any other region

0 Have your say Handing powers and funding to a One Yorkshire mayor could add as much as £30bn a year to the region’s economy by boosting its low level of exports and creating more businesses, a landmark report reveals today. The dossier commissioned by Yorkshire’s council leaders sets out how its 5.3 million population could benefit by an average of £5,400 a year if Ministers agree to the widely-supported devolution proposals.Saying there is strong evidence that Yorkshire and the Humber is a “coherent economic area”, the independently-produced document seen by The Yorkshire Post says there are “potentially considerable advantages from devolution to the Yorkshire level”.Its authors argue that the complex interactions between the region’s smaller economies and its administrative boundaries have held back efforts to set up a political system that it as “economic, efficient and effective” as it could … [Read more...] about One Yorkshire devolution could add £30bn a year to region’s economy by boosting exports and businesses, says landmark report